Of course he will! All parrots are highly social and they NEED companionship so getting them to want to be with us is nothing more than a matter of us being kind and in giving them enough time to realize they can trust us.

Cockatiels are, in my personal opinion, the best-tempered of all parrots. They are sweet, sweet, sweet and one doesn't really have to do much to get them to trust - just treat them right and they will. I used to have a large flock of them living cage-free in my birdroom and they would perch on my shoulder and head all the time even though I never even initiated any kind of interaction with them. Liz has a small flock and they have all grown to trust and love her, too. The difference between companion and aviary species is that companions bond very deeply with humans while aviary birds would much rather be with another bird of their own species (or a similar one) than with a human once they become sexually mature but, if they have nobody else, they will be eager for our company. Of course, personally, I would not keep a single bird of an aviary species, I would get it a mate, but you can't go by me. I am not 'into' pet birds and I couldn't care less if they are trained or not, I just want them to be healthy and happy and if that means the bird will not bond with me, it's fine! I am happy if they are happy.

I really didn't want more then 3 birds. I wanted one who would bond with me. I am unsure if I should give him away then if he is an aviary bird and needs another companion . In my area I doubt anyone has an aviary. I have two budgies but I don't know if he would bond with them more then me if I give them too much time together. I currently am giving hem 1 hour a day together .

It is a sad day when a bird moves into our home and they are maybe not quite what we thought they were going to be and we think about sending them onto the next home, kind of like adopting a child that has been in and out of foster care and sometimes it takes years for them to respond to kindness, patients and learn to trust us, but we just don't have the desire to put in the time. Birds are the same depending on what they've been through.It could take a long time, a lot of patients , unconditional love , understanding , a box or two of band-aids and a big bag of treats to hopefully get them to be what we need them to be. I am with pajirta ) it's okay what ever they want and need as long as they are healthy and happy I'll deal with whatever I have to . BW

There is always a possibility that a parent reared bird will bond with its human keeper especially when young, but its a lot harder work than with a hand reared or part hand reared bird.The older a non hand reared bird becomes especialy one thats been used to an aviary and bonded to another bird, the harder it gets to tame.Thats why parent reared older birds are cheaper to buy, a young hand reared bird has had someone hand feeding day and night every few hours initially and that is reflected in the cost. Its going to be 2-3 times the price of the non tame bird.This is not to say you can't tame any bird, its just a lot harder and they all vary as to how hard its going to be and how much determination the new owner has.

The other problem is parrots are not domesticated animals, they are imprinted by handrearing or hand taming. If you don't t keep up the handling and interaction they start to revert and become untame.The lack of interaction also sets up frustrations because they have bonded to someone if that person doesn't keep up the interaction at a resonable level and starts leaving them all the time you often end up with a parrot who not only isn't tame anymore, but is not afraid of humans and will not avoid them unlike a non imprinted bird. This often happens when the novelty wears off and a parrot that has had a lot of attention then the attention gets less.Then you have a bird that due to its frustration and emotional neglect becomes a screamer and biter, although this is usually the larger parrots. Cockatiels are not that loud and are one of the least aggressive of the parrots although they will bite if cornered or restrained when not tame.

It then starts on the slippery slope of being rehomed unless it is lucky to find someone experienced enough to put the time in to retame it and give it the support it needs.They all vary from not only breed to breed, but bird to bird depending on what has happened in their lives.

terra81 wrote:Well I want to keep him if there's a chance he can bond with me. But if he never can that would suck because I want a pet that loves me back. ☹️

Well, you see, this is a very common problem with people who want a parrot but the key to solving it lays on the human's shoulders and not the animal's. ALL animals respond to love and they ALL have the capacity to love back - the variable in the equation is the expectations that people have of this love. If you want a parrot that is going to want nothing else in life but to ride your shoulder and which will kiss you all the time, a cockatiel is not for you - not because they need to live in an aviary but because they cannot develop the bond that companion animals do. Parrots that do that are the big ones like cockatoos, for example. But not even all the big ones are like that, either, and the ones that are have other problems. Grays love to ride your shoulder and will kiss you when they love you but they are not much on people touching their body and require A LOT of enrichment and interaction and no change or stress or they will start plucking. Cockatoos will kiss you, cuddle with you and want to be with ALL THE TIME but, if you are not there for them virtually 24/7/365, they will scream bloody murder and pluck. Amazons can get VERY aggressive and destructive during breeding season and they are also not touchy-feely at all. Ekkies can be great companions but they are also EXTREMELY difficult to keep healthy and happy because they require a very specialized diet and experienced handling because they don't display or bluff like other species do. And I can go on and on...

People tend to romanticize parrots and have impossible to fulfill expectations... we see it here on the forum all the time: "I want a parrot that won't scream, won't pluck, will talk, will love me, etc. etc. " There is no such thing. Anybody can achieve a wonderful relationship with their bird - as long as they have no expectations and are willing to love it for what the bird is and not for what the bird 'needs' to do for them. Read Liz's posts about her cockatiels. They are all rescues so they all came to her as adults and were all parent-raised but she has achieved a wonderful relationship with them! They trust her implicitly and would approach her, perch on her shoulder, step up for her, etc. and both her and them are very happy with the 'arrangement'.

Let me tell you a story, when my son was about 13 he wanted a guitar. So he saved his money and when he had enough I helped him pick out a new guitar. We bought some method books so he could learn some on his own, and since I knew a little about music I helped him. The songs in the books were simple old folk songs. After practicing for a while, he put the guitar down and told me he was unhappy with the guitar. I asked him why. He said that he didn't want a folk song, country guitar, he wanted a rock and roll guitar. He didn't understand that a guitar is just a guitar, its how you play it that determines what kind of music comes out of it. Pets, especially birds are that way. They are what they are, it is up to you and what you put into the care and love of that bird that will determine what you get back. Maybe even you will learn so much about your individual that you will accept whatever it gives back to you. Pets are not disposable, birds are complicated, you think you train them, but in reality, they train you. If you are not willing to accept what this bird will give you, maybe you should rehome it to a really good home. In the your post that spoke of giving the bird away, you had nine "I";s in the one paragraph. You are important in your pets' life and your happiness is important also, but until you find a pet that more references about him in a paragraph and less about you, then you are most likely looking at the wrong pet. I surely hope you can find a pet that really loves you back . Birds are a lot of work, and sometimes there is very little reward give back to you. There are people on this forum that will help you get the most out of your bird and I am sure that the things you learn will affect your life more than just with your bird. Good luck with your bird.Rick

Yeah I just want him to like me in time. Someone mentioned an avairybird belongs in an aviary and I don't have one. He was never in an aviary , he was caged with one other cockatiel for a year and a half. The owner then sold the two of them to the pet store and the store sold his mate a couple months before I got him. They will no longer be getting cockatiels they said. He was the last one. I live in a small town. The city next to me has no birds either. I brought him to the vet today and the vet thinks I should handle him more even though he hates it and I've been trying to be slow with him. She thinks I should towel him every day. I think he would hate me if I did that. She said he has a bruised feather and showed me. Maybe hurt himself from trying to fly and hitting the wall. He is clipped since I got him from the pet store. he flew out on his own free will when he met my budgies he wanted to fly with them. I guess I should keep him away from the budgies til his wing heals and not let him out of the cage.